Concrete burial-vault



J. M,/scHENK, nEc'n.

E. M. SCHENK, ADMINISTRATRIX.

CONCRETE BURIAL VAULTl APPLICATION FILED JAN.22, |920.

1,369,985. Y A PatendMar. 1,1921.

Inventor",

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JOHN M. SCHENK, OF WATERLOO, IOWA.; ELLA M. SCHENK, ADMINISTRA'IRIX 0FSAID .FHN T. SCHENK, DECEASED, ASSIGNOR T0 ELLA M. SCHENK, OF WATERLOO,IOWA.

concentre Brama-traum.

aeeaees.

Patented Mar. i, i921.

Application flied January 22, 3920. Serial No. 353,249.

improvement is to provide, in a reinforcedconcrete vault or casket,having an imperforatebody and cover, a joint connection therefor whichwill permit and insure of hermetically sealing them together.

This object I have accomplished by the means which are hereinafterdescribed and claimed, and which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure l1 is a perspectlve view of a casket oftheclass described, one end. being shown in cross-section, and Fig. 2 is anenlarged detail view showing my improved joint-connection between theupper part of the casket and the de ending part of the cover.

gimilar numerals of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the'several VIEWS.

The hollow imperforate body l of the casket or vault, is open at thetop, and isv formed of concrete molded'about a reticulated reinforcement2 of the same shape. Surrounding said body and below its upper edge, anintegral rib extends from its outside wall at 3', with its outer partextended rib 3. The imperforate cover 6 is also made of concrete moldedupon a shaped' reticulated reinforcement 7, the cover being somewhatarched in form and having depending edge-parts 8 also outwardly slopedat a slight angle from the vertical so as to inclose in parallel, theraised outer part 5` while depending into-the'trough 4in said rib 3,when the cover .is in place.`

5.0 The trough 4 is of considerably greater horizontal Width than thedepending part 8 of the cover, permitting the reception of thekrequisite amount of cement or hermetically sealing material 9. l

When the joint connection of the casket is thus hermetically sealed, asshown in said Fig. 2, and the casket buried in the ground in asubstantially horizontal position, ground water cannot percolate into.the casket by seepage through the cementing material 9 or anyfortultous cracks 0r gaps therein.

This-is due to the provision of the ledge 5. elevated above the rib 3.

' If the upper edge of the ledge 5 were at` 'the same level as the upperedge of the raised part of the rib 3, accidental cracks in the cement 9would permit moisture to percolate into the casket about said ledge 5.The narrow interspace 10 between the opposed parallel surfaces of theledge 5 and the cover part 8 above the cement 9 is nevertheless wideenough to prevent movement of moisture upwardly therethrough bycapillary attraction, while said ledge 5 prevents a transfer ofmoisture-from said interspace thereover, due to the pressure of airunder superincumbent cover.

Because of the considerable elevation of the ledge 5 above thetrough-bottom '4, the depending part 8 of said cover 6 cannot easilybecome displaced, even when the ,casket may not be perfectly level, orin case of itsendwise subsidence. This'will keep the relation of theparts the same as above described so that the joint therebetween willnevertheless fail to transmit moisture into the casket. l

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

In combination, an open top imper-forate hollowconcrete container, ahollowl open bottom imperforate cover for said container, with outwardlysloping depending rim, said container having a clrcumferential ing`upwardly troughed with its outer rim positioned below the level of therim ofthe container, the outer wall ofthe rim of the container beingoutwardly sloped, the rim ledge positioned below its rim, the ledge beofthe cover being seated in the trough of the ledge, spaced therefrom, andimpervious sealingLmeans in said trough embedding the rim of the covertherein only to the level of 5 the upper edge of the rim of the ledge,with the interspace of the cover rim and the container rim unfilledabove said sealingmeans and being both relatively long and Wide enoughto prevent seepage of Huid therethrough by capillary attraction. 10

Signed at laterloo, Iowa, this 26th day of December, 1919.

JOHN M. SCHENK.

